Changes
by PinkyKupkake
Summary: Joe moves back into town after being gone for a year. His friends are eager to learn about the stories...and people...that he's brought back with him. Joint project between TheLuckiestOne1 and myself. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is a joint project between my friend, TheLuckiestOne1, and me. I hope you enjoy it! Please review, it would mean a lot to us. :D**

Joe beamed at seeing his long-lost friends at his front door. He felt that he had missed so much, even with just the year he'd been gone. But then again, they'd missed a lot of what had gone on in his life, too. Looking at his friend's faces, he was in awe thinking about how much someone's life could be turned around in just a short year. His certainly had been. His father had been transferred to work in another county, and while away, he'd met the woman who would become his new wife, and Joe's new stepmother. And that woman had a daughter, so Joe had gotten a bit of an instant family. At first, he hated the new woman, and her daughter too. He was still didn't get along completely well with his stepmother, but he quickly learned to love and adore his new sister, Jennifer, who was just a few months younger than Joe.

"Come in, you guys." Joe smiled at his friends and led them into the living room of his house, where they sat down and all excitedly turned to Joe, waiting for him to begin to talk about what had been happening in his life for the past year.

As the boys talked, soft footsteps began to enter their ears. A pretty, fair girl turned swiftly past the boys, on a path to the kitchen; the boys stopped talking in order to follow her movements. Her lips formed a shy smile as she looked to Joe, before moving once again, away from his sight. The boys all turned back towards Joe, wanting to know what lied outside of Lillian.  
>Except for Charles, that is. His eyes still followed Jennifer, his face burning red. His mouth slightly opened, like he wanted to speak to her - but, no matter how much he tried, he had no words.<br>Cary glanced over to him. "Come on, lubberboy," he snapped.  
>"Shut up, Cary, I- what the...oh." Charles looked around the room, confused by his friend's exasperation. Cary quizzically gaped at his friend, who was still reeling from his daydream. Actually, everyone was gaping at him. "Quit that," he said.<br>"Yeah, whatever," the blond spat back. "You're-" A woman's voice interrupted Cary's insult. "Want a snack, boys? Food's on the table." Joe recognized the defined, savory scent of his stepmother's chicken tenders.  
>Charles, Martin, Cary and Preston all dashed to the kitchen, shouting a string of random compliments - "Thank you! You're the best, Mrs. Lamb!"<br>But Joe stayed frozen. He hadn't seen anyone for a year - but Charles was already more interested in his sister - a newcomer, naive to the group - than he was in his own friend - someone he'd known for so long. 


	2. Chapter 2

Joe, still in disbelief at his friend, managed to sit down at the table. Everything had changed so much in the year - but Charles didn't seem to be interested in what happened. In fact, he looked happily unaware as he scarfed down his chicken tenders.

Joe continued to let his brain haunt him, feeling betrayed. He tried to push the thoughts from his head, but failed. He finally shoved his chair away from the table and got up without a word. He went looking for his sister.

He found Jessica staring out the window and smiled a bit. She was always a bit of a dreamer."Hi," she said softly, turning around to look at him. Usually he left her alone when she went daydreaming, but he really needed to say something this time. Or at least, he thought he did. But he wasn't quite sure what to say.

He sat down across from her without a word, and looked out the window. She turned her head towards him.  
>"Hey." she said.<p>

"Um, hi," he began awkwardly. "Did you want to meet the guys?" His face burned red. He hated to ask the question. Surely, this would cause even more trouble.

But he couldn't have her feeling left out. He assumed that she would want to be a part of what he was doing, especially since she had just moved here. He had lived here almost his whole life and knew exactly what he was doing.

"What guys, now?" she asked. She'd barely noticed them - though that wasn't the same for them. "I mean, my friends," he explained.

A small smile formed on her face. "That would be great," she said.


	3. Chapter 3

Jennifer stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. She smiled at Joe and nodded her head, signaling for him to lead the way. He moved slowly into the kitchen where the boys were still happily eating their chicken tenders.

"Hey guys," Joe said, but they continued eating. "Guys."  
>"What?" Charles replied with a mouthful of chicken before looking over at the girl. His face burned red before he swallowed down his food.<br>"Um, I wanted you to meet Jennifer, my sister."

"Hey! I'm Cary." Cary waved at her. "Do you-"  
>"Wait, guys." Martin began. "I didn't know Joe had a sister."<br>"We told you that before, stupid." Cary stated.  
>"But I think I would have remembered from all the years-"<br>"Shut up." Cary said, hitting Martin's arm.

"You shut up," Martin said, glaring.  
>"Um..." Jennifer stood, shifting around slightly.<br>Joe knew that she wasn't used to being around boys like them. "Guys, stop. You're scaring Jennifer."

"It's okay, they scare me too sometimes." Preston said.  
>Jessica smiled and looked at the ground.<br>"Wanna sit?" Preston asked.  
>"Yeah." Jennifer said, pulling up a chair next to Joe's.<p>

"So," Joe began, "you guys need to introduce yourselves."  
>"But I already did!" Cary said<br>"Fine. Then everyone else can."  
>"Well, just so you know, Jessica-"<br>"Jennifer," she said.  
>"-you should remember that I was the first to introduce myself."<p>

"Got it." Jennifer grinned.  
>"I'm-" Martin was cut off by Cary.<br>"Smartin."  
>"That's not my name! I don't like it when you call me that!"<br>Cary smiled.  
>"My name's Martin."<p>

She chuckled at Cary's joke, but smiled politely at Martin. "Hi."  
>Preston laughed, too, before introducing himself.<br>"And I'm Charles," the last boy said. He still looked a bit embarrassed about what he had done earlier, but he made sure to sound suave.

"Nice to meet you, Charles." Jennifer offered a small smile. She noticed that he was staring at her and, feeling a bit awkward, looked down.  
>The conversation stopped. Everyone sat in awkward silence. The boys could talk forever by themselves, but with a new person - a girl for that matter - around, they didn't know what to do with themselves.<p>

"Soooo," Cary began. "Jennifer. Do you like it here?" She continued smiling. "Um. In Lillian?"  
>"Yeah. It's nice."<p>

He continued to ask questions "Where are you even from?"  
>"Well, my mom and I lived pretty far from here. In-"<br>"FAR from here?! Where?"

"Well, not really far. Just down-"  
>"Wait. You don't have any brothers or sisters, do you? Because then there would be more of you...and Joe would have like...an instant family."<br>Jennifer breathed out. "No. No, I don't. My-"  
>"And how did your parents meet?"<p>

"Um, they met at a coffee shop."  
>"So, what does she do, is she like, THERE, or-"<br>"She didn't work there, but, I guess they accidentally bumped into each other, and-"  
>"But what does she do?"<p>

"Cary! You're freaking her out," Charles interrupted. "That's not how you talk to a girl."  
>"Quit interrupting <strong>me<strong>, lubberboy," he replied.

Ignoring Charles, Cary turned back to Jennifer. "And what does she do?" he repeated.  
>"Well, she doesn't work anymore. Because we had to move."<br>"Is she looking for a job?"  
>"Uh...I don't know."<br>"When did you first meet Joe? How did you first meet him? What did you think of him? And his dad?"  
>Jennifer's face turned red and she looked at the ground, pushing her hair out of her face and breathing heavily.<p>

Joe couldn't help but glare at Cary. Jennifer was so obviously overwhelmed by his questions - and, besides, she had just moved to a new town.  
>Jennifer looked up slightly. "Um, I-"<br>"Come on. I'm just asking! It's not that hard."  
>"I, I liked them, I guess, but-"<br>"But how did you meet them?"  
>"Mom introduced me while they were dating."<p>

"Where?"  
>"Oh, I don't really-"<br>"I mean, how could you not like Joe, right?"  
>Jennifer stopped for a second. She smiled. "Yeah."<br>"Wait guys. I'm confused." Martin broke in. "How can they be siblings if they're the same age?"  
>Jennifer turned towards Martin and cocked her head. "What?"<p>

"You and Joe are the same age. How can you be brother and sister?"  
>"He's my stepbrother, so-"<br>"But how does that work? How do you guys get along if you're the same age?"  
>"What? That, that... what?" Her face twisted slightly in confusion.<br>"Great job, Smartin, you got her confused," Cary began.  
>"No! You know what I mean, right?"<p>

"No, I really don't." Jennifer said, looking at Martin with sympathy.  
>"Let me put it this way. You two are the same age. And so-" Martin's face changed suddenly. "Oh I get it! You two are twins!"<br>Jennifer suddenly realized that Martin was serious, and covered her mouth to hide her grin.

"But why haven't we met you before?" Martin asked.

She didn't respond for a whole minute, probably because she was trying not to laugh at him. "Um, we just moved back, so, that's w-"  
>"But wait, wouldn't Joe and everyone else visit?"<br>"They obviously didn't," Cary huffed.  
>"Shut up. I know that. I'm not stupid."<br>"M'kay, Smar-"  
>"Stop. But, I mean, Joe, you didn't try to visit us?"<br>He shifted awkwardly. "We couldn't really come back."

"Why not?" Martin asked, frowning.  
>"Well, because we had moved and we were really busy...and we were trying to adjust and-"<br>"Wait, so did you like Joe or not when you first met? Hey Joe, did you like her?" Cary blurted.  
>"Well-"<br>"If you're twins, why didn't you ever visit Joe all these years we've known him?" Martin asked, looking very stressed.

"We're not twins." Jennifer sighed.  
>"You're not?" Martin yelled.<p>

"No, Martin. It doesn't work that way. My mom isn't..." She paused awkwardly, as if she remembered what had happened. "..um, I mean, we're not from the SAME family. We didn't even know each other until our parents were dating."  
>"But, wait, then, how..." Joe could tell that whatever energy ran through Martin's brain was running out, the way he stumbled over his words. "Um, nevermind."<p>

Jennifer looked around the table, only to find Cary bursting out in laughter.  
>"Nice going, Smartin!" Cary gasped in between laughter.<br>"I said I don't like it when you call me that!" Martin frowned.  
>Jennifer smiled in spite of herself.<p>

"Aw, Marty, Jessica's laughing, are you gonna cry?"  
>"It's Jennifer," Charles interrupted before the girl could correct him. "Any nicknames? Jenny? Jen?"<br>"Um, Jen is fine."  
>"Let Jess speak for herself, lubberboy," Cary spat.<br>"She just said Jen."  
>"Whatever!"<p>

Jen laughed slightly. She'd gotten at least a little used to the boys. "Do you guys always argue like this?"  
>Joe nodded, answering her question - but Preston, unaware of her brother's answer, spoke. "Basically, yeah-"<br>"Dude, he just answered that," Cary said.  
>"Cary, seriously, do you ever shut up?"<br>"Aw, Marty, Jessica's laughing, are you gonna cry?"  
>"It's Jennifer," Charles interrupted before the girl could correct him. "Any nicknames? Jenny? Jen?"<br>"Um, Jen is fine."  
>"Let Jess speak for herself, lubberboy," Cary spat.<br>"She just said Jen."  
>"Whatever!"<br>Jen laughed slightly. She'd gotten at least a little used to the boys. "Do you guys always argue like this?"  
>Joe nodded, answering her question - but Preston, unaware of her brother's answer, spoke. "Basically, yeah-"<br>"Dude, he just answered that," Cary said.  
>"Cary, seriously, do you ever shut up?"<p>

"No, I don't."  
>"Maybe you should try it out sometime."<br>"Oh, really? Well maybe you should try-"  
>"Guys, knock it off. You're being so immature." Charles cut in.<br>"Oh, because you're just the most mature person in the world." Cary shot back.

"Look who's talking."  
>"Yeah, exactly. You're way worse than I am, and Joe lets you be that way."<br>"Probably because I have a brain."  
>"Ha!"<br>"One that doesn't think about explosions all the time." Cary's face fell at that remark.

Jen covered her face. She didn't seem to feel scared or anxious anymore - so, as far as Joe knew, she was holding back her laughter.

"Will you ever want to hang out with us again, Jen? Or did we scare you off?" Preston smiled.  
>Jen released her head from her hands and pushed her hair back.<p>

"Scared? Nah. I never had friends like you guys back home."

"Oh man. They're all normal out there, aren't they?" Preston said, his eyes bugging out.  
>Cary rolled his eyes "Stop freaking out."<br>"No, they weren't normal. Just boring," she replied. "I guess I was, too."  
>"But now you're like us, right?" Cary said.<br>"I don't know. Maybe."

"You either are or you aren't."  
>"Wow, you guys are so persistent. Can't you just accept 'I don't know' as an answer?"<br>"No."  
>Jen raised her eyebrows.<p>

"I guess I'll have to say 'no' for now. This whole place is still new to me."  
>"You don't 'guess,' you just are."<br>She laughed. "Yeah, okay. No guessing here." Cary tilted his head slightly, and Jen's smile faded - she'd tried for a joke, but failed.

"Hey, can we see your room?" Cary blurted out.  
>"Uh, well it's not really unpacked yet, because-"<br>"Please? Please? Please?"  
>"Um..."<p>

"Please."  
>"Maybe later. When it's more unpacked?"<br>"*What?!* That's going to take forever! I just want to see what it looks like!"  
>"She said no, you idiot," Charles mumbled.<br>"Am I the only one who cares about this!?"  
>"Yes."<br>"But, um," Jen began, "yeah, I meant no."

"Ugh, you're so boring," Cary whined.  
>"Stop it," Charles replied. "She has her space."<p>

Cary continued, ignoring Charles. "Please? Please? Please? Come on. In this group of friends, there are no secrets. We don't hide anything."  
>"I have nothing to hide. It's just that it's messy."<br>"Please? Please? Please?"  
>"Fine." Jen sighed. She pushed her chair back and beckoned for the boys to stand up.<p>

As soon as Jen led them to the door, the boys ran in, seemingly desperate to find out everything about the room. She was absolutely right. The room was a mess - with boxes scattered around the floor - and barely furnished, save for a bed and a dresser.  
>"Are you happy now?" Jen said.<br>Cary looked over at her, looking slightly disappointed that her room was not unusual. "I guess. You were right."

Jen smiled. She snatched a book that was laying open on the bed and threw it on the ground on the other side of the room.  
>"What was that?" Cary asked.<br>"Nothing." Jen replied.  
>"What was that?!" Cary repeated.<br>"A book."  
>"What was in the book?"<br>"Nothing."

"She writes songs," Joe said before covering his mouth. Jen was probably going to kill him - but, for now, she nodded.  
>Cary stared at Joe before turning back to Jen. "Songs about what? I hope they're not stupid love songs."<br>"Just about stuff," she said.  
>"But what kind of stuff? Love? Feelings? Lame stuff?"<br>"What, do you want them to be about explosions?" Charles said, chuckling to himself.

"Explosions?" Jen asked, desperately trying to change the subject.  
>"Cary's obsessed with fireworks." Charles explained.<br>"It's a hobby." Cary protested.  
>"A dangerous one." Charles muttered.<br>"I've got a bunch in my backpack. Wanna see me set one off?"  
>"Uh, no. Not really, actually."<br>"Then can we hear one of your songs?"

"Um, actually, I don't really want to do that..."  
>"Why? Is it because they suck?"<br>"No, it's because-"  
>"They suck, don't they? They're totally about makeup, and shoes, and boys."<br>"No, they're personal, they're-"  
>"So they ARE about boys! Hey, write one for me, and next time we visit you can sing for us."<br>"But-"  
>"Sweet! Thanks."<br>"I didn't-"  
>"You have to do it now," Preston mumbled.<br>"Fine."

"Really?" Cary asked.  
>"Yes. Now get the hell out of my room." Jen said, smiling.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

"Why is she taking so long?" Cary whined. When Jen had said that she wanted him to get out, she meant all of the boys - including Joe. They must have been waiting for five minutes, and Cary obviously wasn't willing to hold out for much longer.  
>Charles mumbled under his breath. "Why can't you just wait? Jeez."<p>

They could hear strumming in the background, and desperately tried to hear the soft notes Jen was humming.

"I didn't know girls could play the guitar," Martin whispered.  
>Preston responded. "You didn't just say that."<br>"Shut up, guys," hissed Cary, "I'm trying to listen. ...I don't hear any words."  
>"Maybe because she's not singing them," Preston said, rolling his eyes.<p>

After another half hour of impatience from the boys, Jen emerged from her room, guitar in hand, looking quite confident.

"Did you write it?" Cary asked, practically attacking her as she walked towards him.  
>Jen laughed. "Yes, I wrote it."<br>"It sure took you long enough." Cary muttered.

Ignoring Cary she sat down with the guitar, and started strumming an intro softly.  
>Finally, she began to sing.<br>"The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm  
>And I'm a house of cards<br>You're the kind of reckless that should send me running  
>But I kinda know that I won't get far."<br>The boys had never heard a girl sing for them. She wasn't perfect - she didn't sound like the women on the radio - but she was certainly close to being "very good."  
>She continued. "And you stood there in front of me<br>Just close enough to touch  
>Close enough to hope you couldn't<br>See what I was thinking of"

"Ugh, it's about girl crud," Cary whispered harshly. "This sucks."  
>Before he could continue his complaint, Jen began to sing again. "Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain<br>Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain  
>'Cause I see sparks fly<br>Whenever you smile"  
>"Haha, sparks," Charles whispered. "She likes YOU."<br>"But I told her that I didn't like love songs."  
>"So she loves you."<br>"Ew!"  
>"Get me with those green eyes baby as the lights go down, give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around. 'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile." Jen smiled as she sang, but refused to make eye contact with any of the guys.<br>"Green eyes, who has green eyes?" Cary whispered.  
>"Yours are blue," Charles replied.<br>"How do you know? Have you been staring into them?"  
>"Shut up."<br>Jen played and sang over their argument. "My mind forgets to remind me  
>You're a bad idea<br>You touch me once and it's really something  
>You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be."<br>"Ew." Cary muttered.  
>"Shut up and just listen." Charles whispered.<br>Jen quickly looked up and Joe and offered a small smile before she continued singing. "I'm on my guard for the rest of the world but with you, I know it's no good. And I could wait patiently, but I really wish you would drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain. Kiss me on the sidewalk take away the pain"

"How many times is she going to sing that?" Preston whined.  
>"The song's obviously not about you, so shut up," Cary spat.<br>"'Cause I see sparks fly,  
>Whenever you smile," Jen sang.<br>"See? That's why," Cary continued.  
>"I smile!"<br>"But sparks don't fly."

Joe noticed that Jen grinned, and got the feeling that she was listening to everything they were saying. She continued singing. "Get me with those green eyes, baby  
>As the lights go down<br>Give me something that'll haunt me  
>When you're not around"<br>"My eyes are green." Cary said.  
>"No they aren't." Charles said.<br>"They're close enough, lubberboy."

"Gray-blue is not close to green," Charles replied, coughing.  
>"You <strong>do<strong> stare into my eyes, don't you? Freak."  
>"Shh!" Martin glared at the two. "I've never heard a girl sing like this."<p>

"'Cause I see sparks fly  
>Whenever you smile," she sang again before entering a different part. "I'll run my fingers through your hair<br>And watch the lights go wild  
>Just keep on keeping your eyes on me<br>It's just wrong enough to make it feel right"  
>The boys were speechless. She continued:<br>"And lead me up the staircase  
>Won't you whisper soft and slow<br>I'm captivated by you, baby  
>Like a fireworks show"<br>"FIREWORKS!" Cary blurted. "Ha-HA!"  
>"You remember that this is a love song, right?" Charles replied.<br>"Yeah, but FIREWORKS!"

"But did you hear that? Hair! It's you. You're the only one who has hair. Or a lot of hair, anyway."  
>"Joe has hair."<br>"But she's not writing a song about her brother, idiot."

"Drop everything now  
>Meet me in the pouring rain<br>Kiss me on the sidewalk  
>Take away the pain cause<br>I see sparks fly  
>Whenever you smile<br>Get me with those green eyes  
>Baby as the lights go down<br>Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around  
>Cause I see sparks fly<br>Whenever you smile" Jen finished triumphantly.

The boys clapped - especially Joe. He'd never heard his sister sound better - and, plus, he had the feeling that she was finally settling in. As he thought over the lyrics, he looked to his friends. Preston and Martin smiled, yes, but Cary and Charles had a strange smirk on their faces: like they knew something that he didn't.

"You wrote all that just now?" Charles asked.  
>"Yeah. Well- I mean...well not exactly. I had some of the lyrics already. But yeah, I guess I wrote most of them just now." Jen said, going back to acting nervous and stumbling over her words.<p>

"How did you come up with that?!" he shouted.  
>"Um, I, uh..." Her face turned red. "I, um, sort of copied from another song-"<br>"No you didn't! I've never heard anything like that before."  
>"Well, I mean, it's sort of based off of something..."<br>"Like real life?"  
>"Um, you know what," she said, standing up and putting the guitar away, "I don't really feel like talking about it, so..."<p>

"Too bad, you played the song, tell us how you came up with it."  
>"My songs don't make sense. I use a lot of metaphors. They aren't always what they seem. You wouldn't understand if-"<br>"Wait, guys. I'm confused. If-" Martin broke in.  
>"Smartin, you're always confused. Just shut up for one second, okay?" Cary snapped.<p>

"But what's a metaphor?" Martin asked anyway.  
>"Dude. We talked about it, like, five times in English this year," Preston replied.<br>Cary huffed. "Nobody pays attention in English."  
>Jen rolled her eyes. "It just means you're using words to mean different things. Kind of symbolism."<br>Martin blinked. "What's that?"  
>She laughed. "Never mind."<p>

"See, nobody ever tells me anything. And then you call me stupid."  
>Jen covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. "You're so precious." she stated.<br>Martin's face lit up and he seemed to forget that he had even been upset.  
>"Quit trying to change the subject. What did you write that about?" Cary asked.<br>"Like I said, I had a lot of the lyrics already. I guess the fireworks and sparks were just the hook I was looking for."  
>"The what?"<br>"Never mind."

"But you knew that I liked fireworks. So obviously that was part of it, right?"  
>"I don't know. It might have been that you reminded me of something."<br>"But it was because of me."  
>"Maybe."<br>"Yes or no. Quick."  
>"Stop pressuring her," Charles hissed. "You've been acting like this the whole time."<br>"I was just asking!"

"Well you're being annoying." Charles muttered.  
>"I'm not annoyed. In fact, I find this quite amusing." Preston said.<br>"Shut up."  
>"Anyway," Cary said, ignoring the others. "All I'm saying is that you said you'd write a song for me. And this is what you showed us."<br>"How do you know I didn't write a different song about you?"  
>"Because that would be stupid."<br>"Besides, I never said I'd write a song about you."  
>"Yes you did!"<br>"I said I'd write a song FOR you. There's a difference."

"Well, obviously you made it for **and** about me!"  
>"You keep telling yourself that," she laughed. "It's only <strong>for<strong> you guys, not always **about** you."  
>Cary grinned. "Okay. I'll take that for now. But you should tell us <strong>next time<strong> you write a song about us."  
>"I told you, it wasn't-"<br>"Let's stop," Martin said, "and think about what's important. How did you learn how to play the guitar if you're a girl?"

Jen looked at Martin and raised her eyebrows. "Huh?"  
>"Martin, shut up." Charles said.<br>"No. I'm not going to shut up! I want to know! How did you learn to play guitar?"  
>"I taught myself." Jen said smiling.<br>"How did you teach yourself if you're a girl?"

"I watched other people, so I tried to play it myself." She grinned. "Not that hard if you try."  
>"But you're a girl. Girls just sing, right?"<br>"You must not watch TV very often."  
>"I-"<br>"Or pay attention. Doesn't matter, because now you know."  
>He smiled back. "Yeah, I do know."<p>

"Helpful hint," Jen said, standing up and looking at Charles and Cary. "Treating people with kindness gets you a lot farther than telling them to shut up...and if you let them talk, you never know if they'll have something good to say." she winked and walked back to her room to put her guitar away, returning a moment later.

"So I guess she doesn't like you," Charles said before noticing she had returned. "I mean, she, she-"  
>"I like all of you. Just not in the way that you think." Jen said.<br>"She likes everyone except for you, Charles," Preston laughed.  
>"Shu- whatever."<p>

"You've finally shut up about 'shut up,'" she laughed.  
>Martin blinked. "What?"<br>"I'll explain it another time."

"Promise? You're not just saying that?"  
>"Yep, I promise."<br>"So if you don't like us, who do you like?" Cary asked.  
>"Do I always need to like someone?" Jen asked.<br>"Yes."  
>"Okay, cool. I'll keep that in mind."<br>"Let's be honest, we all know you're lying."  
>"I don't lie, kiddo."<p>

"You do, though!"  
>"Nope. I just like hearing songs about that kind of stuff-"<br>"Because you like someone."  
>"No, because I like how they sound. People put a lot of thought into their lyrics when they write about love - so I tried doing what they do."<br>"But you can't write about it if you don't know about it, right?" Martin asked.  
>"Yeah, yeah, 'write what you know,' but listening to a bunch of songs helps, too."<p>

"The point is that you have to have written it about someone." Cary said.  
>"I always write about someone or something. It's just that there are hidden meanings. Like I said, it almost never means what you think it means."<br>"So does that mean you wrote it about me but you actually hate me?"  
>"Yes, that's exactly what it means." Jen said, rolling her eyes.<p>

Charles laughed under his breath, earning a stare from Cary.  
>"You don't hate me though, right?" the blond asked.<br>"Seriously? Right now, I really want to hate you." She laughed. "But I can't. You're too..."  
>"Too what?"<br>"Too special."  
>"So you like me."<br>"I don't think she means special in a good way," Charles said.

"Good, in a sense. You're easily the most interesting person I've ever met." Jen said looking at Cary, almost as though she was examining him.  
>"Well, thanks. You're interesting, too." Cary said.<br>"Thanks."  
>There was an awkward pause.<br>"Will you play another song for us?" Martin broke the silence.  
>"If it were just you and me, I would. But these guys will give me too much trouble." Jen said, smiling at Martin.<p>

Martin frowned.  
>"Maybe next time, okay?" Jen asked, attempting to soothe him.<br>"Will you write a song about me?" Martin asked, looking happier.  
>"Sure. Why not?"<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

"Really?! Awesome!" he shouted.  
>But Cary was not willing to accept Jen's answer. "No, write another one about me!" The other boys rolled their eyes.<br>"She said she'd write for me first," Martin said.  
>"But she wrote one about ME first." Martin sighed at this response.<br>"Well," Jen interrupted, "why don't I make it a surprise?"

"Sure," Cary replied. "But I know it

It'll be about me."  
>"We'll see."<p>

Jen rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you guys be getting home? It's late."  
>"No." Cary said.<br>"Yes. I think it's time for all of you to go home. Joe and I are going to have to eat dinner soon, anyway."

"But we already had the chi-"  
>"That was a snack, idiot," Charles huffed.<br>"For you, lubberboy."  
>"Take that back."<br>Joe stepped in. "It was great to see you guys again, but Jen's right. It is pretty late."  
>"You used to be fun," Cary whined.<br>"I still am. I just moved back, though."

"Fine." Cary glared at Joe and stepped out the front door.


	6. Chapter 6

Jen spent the next morning strumming her guitar in silence. She knew that Joe would be bringing the guys back over - and she'd promised them a new song; she winced to herself as she remembered that the song had to be "about" one of the boys. They were desperate to hear her voice: especially if she had something nice to say about them.

She ran lyrics through her mind, but none of them sounded right. She sighed and flung herself backwards, earning a loud bang from her guitar. She hated being forced to write something. The lyrics came naturally when they wanted to come. If they didn't want to come- well, they didn't. She picked up her songwriting book and started flipping through it for information.

The book told her that - if she did not feel the creative spark needed for the song - she could open up her dictionary and pick any word from a random page. Grabbing the dictionary, she closed her eyes, flipped through the pages, and opened them again: to find that, right in front of her, was a sketch for the word "spleen."

Jen knew that, with a little inspiration, she could write a song about almost anything - but she couldn't write a song about a spleen.

She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want the boys in her house. She didn't like them anymore. And although she felt bad about the way she was feeling, she couldn't help it. She wondered if she could just hide out in her room and pretend not to exist if the boys came over.

Unfortunately for her, they would remember that she existed - and they would be dying to hear her next song. Knowing that she couldn't escape them, she remembered that they weren't **completely** bad: just mostly bad.

As far as she knew, anyway. Closing her eyes again, she pulled another random page: and when she opened them, she found her finger pointing at the **perfect** word.

"Enchanted." she whispered. "Enchanted...enchanted to meet you." A huge grin dawned on her face. She starting strumming the chords she had earlier. As she played, she sang out words softly, drawing inspiration from the previous night and writing them down as she went. Soon, the words couldn't flow from her mouth to the pen to the paper fast enough, and in a matter of an hour she had a song. She was still in her room playing and humming melodies when the four boys turned up at her house.

The walls (and her playing) muffled most of their conversation. What little she did hear sounded like an argument - not likely to be about her, but about something stupid (like aliens or robots - she couldn't tell the difference, based on what they were saying). Unphased, she continued creating melodies.  
>She had little time to continue, though, when she heard knocking at the door. "Hold on!" she shouted.<p>

"Come on!" Cary shouted. "I wanna hear my song!"  
>"She said it was mine," Martin said before Jen heard Cary whispering something harshly (and, obviously, rudely).<p>

They continued pounding at the door.  
>"Jeez, shut up. I'm coming." she muttered, because she was too nice to actually yell it.<br>She yanked open the door to find all the boys standing there eagerly.  
>"Did you write the song?" Cary asked.<br>"Maybe."

"Will you sing it for us?"  
>"No, I won't sing the song I spent the last two hours forcing myself to write." So much for being nice. She was spitting right back at him - when, just a day before, she had been quiet and meek around him.<br>"Come on!" he pleaded.  
>"Only if you don't interrupt me next time."<br>"Oka-"  
>"And only if you're nice to Martin."<p>

"See? Jen likes me. She thinks I'm smart. Right?" Martin said.  
>"Of course I do."<br>Cary choked back a laugh. Jen raised her eyebrows at him. "Deal?" she asked.  
>"Okay, fine. Just play the song."<p>

en sat down with her guitar and started strumming.

She realized suddenly that she was nervous. But as the words came out of her mouth, her nerves seemed to be eased.  
>"There I was again tonight<br>Forcing laughter, faking smiles  
>Same old tired, lonely place<br>Walls of insincerity  
>Shifting eyes and vacancy<br>Vanished when I saw your face"

"All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you," she continued, watching all of their faces. Cary was smiling, but seemed confused: as if he was trying to make a connection to the song when it had barely started. Meanwhile, Martin closed his eyes, seemingly appreciating what she had written (even though he didn't know if it was - or wasn't - about him).

She looked back down and continued playing and singing. "Your eyes whispered 'Have we met?'  
>Across the room, your silhouette<br>Starts to make its way to me  
>The playful conversation starts<br>Counter all your quick remarks  
>Like passing notes in secrecy"<p>

Cary grinned, as if realizing the song was about him. Jen would even admit that those lyrics probably related more to him than any of the others. Jen looked over at Martin again, who seemed to be listening to the words, although she couldn't tell if he was grasping them or not.

"And it was enchanting to meet you  
>All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you," she continued before moving into the chorus:<br>"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go  
>I'm wonder-struck, blushing all the way home<br>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
>I was enchanted to meet you"<br>They all seemed to blush at her words - but Cary's face was especially red.

"Dude, your face," Preston said.  
>"Shut up!" Cary replied. Typical. "How about YOUR face?"<p>

She wondered how her lyrics - which, earlier, she thought applied to him - were the complete opposite of how he actually was. Still, she had to keep singing.  
>She moved to the next verse. "The lingering question kept me up<br>2 am, who do you love?  
>I wonder 'til I'm wide awake."<p>

"And now I'm pacing back and forth wishing you were at my door I'd open up and you would say Hey it was enchanting to meet you"

The boys all seemed puzzled. They seemed to understand that these lyrics were serious, and that she meant every word. But at the same time, none of them could tell exactly which one of them the song was about.

Jen understood that Cary and Martin had especially tried to connect to the song - but now, even Charles and Preston seemed curious. They both mouthed the words as she sang them, and smiled when she had said an especially sweet or strong word. She'd wished she was more specific - but she couldn't risk hurting any of them.

"All I know is I was enchanted to meet you," she sang. She'd been "enchanted" (or, at least, glad) to meet all of them, but someone - and she wasn't sure who right now - was especially "enchanting."

She continued:  
>"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go<br>I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home  
>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew<br>This night is flawless, don't you let it go  
>I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone<br>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
>I was enchanted to meet you"<br>From their glances, she had the feeling that **none** of them knew how she felt: not because they didn't like her, but because they weren't sure who she was focusing on.

"This is me praying that  
>This was the very first page<br>Not where the story line ends  
>My thoughts will echo your name<br>Until I see you again," she continued. Now they seemed even more confused - was she singing about someone they didn't know? Or was she talking about something else?

As she looked at each of their faces, she realized that in playing this song, she had done nothing but confuse everyone- including herself. She tried to recall the feelings she'd had while writing the song, but it just didn't have the same impact she'd hoped it would.

She could barely remember what she'd hoped their reaction would be: but it certainly wasn't going to be the confusion that appeared to ensue. Understanding how they felt, Jen wanted to stop playing and write a different song altogether: but that would probably confuse them even more.

These are the words I held back  
>As I was leaving too soon<br>I was enchanted to meet you," she continued. "Please don't be in love with someone else  
>Please don't have somebody waiting on you<br>Please don't be in love with someone else  
>Please don't have somebody waiting on you"<p>

Knowing that the song was close to finishing, she felt her stomach drop. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to keep playing forever. This was exactly why she didn't share her songs with people. They were just complicated.

"This night is sparkling, don't you let it go  
>I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home<br>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew  
>This night is flawless, don't you let it go<br>I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone  
>I'll spend forever wondering if you knew<br>I was enchanted to meet you"

"Please don't be in love with someone else  
>Please don't have somebody waiting on you," she finished. On one hand, she was glad that it was over; she'd grown horrified with the song about halfway through. On the other hand, she still wished that the song hadn't ended - so that she wouldn't hear what the boys had to say.<br>Nor did she want to focus on their faces. All of them seemed to stare at her, bug-eyed. "What?" she prompted.

"Um..." Cary began. "That was...wow." The rest of the guys gaped at her.

"You asked me to write a song, so I did." Jen snapped, glaring at Cary.  
>"Geez, I didn't say 'wow' was a bad thing."<br>"Well, maybe you need to shut up and just pay attention to the lyrics instead of jumping to conclusions and attacking me."

"I wasn't attacking it though! I meant that it was really good," he replied.  
>Martin's gape had turned into a doofy smile. Cary elbowed him in slight annoyance.<br>"You should have told me that in the first place," Jen huffed.  
>But he turned away. "Joe, why is Jen being so weird?"<br>"I don't know. Girls get mood swings," Joe answered.

"I would know, Joe," Charles interrupted. "My house is a warzone when my sisters start acting like her."  
>"I'm not having mood swings," Jen muttered.<p>

"Yes, you are having mood swings." Cary said.  
>"You're attacking me again! Stop it! Don't you think enough people attack me?"<p>

"He's not attacking you," Charles said. "He's telling the truth. When girls get mood swings, they get all sappy and sweet - but then, they turn into monsters just as quick."  
>"I'm not a monster," she replied.<br>"Yet," Preston said, earning a chuckle from all the boys.  
>"You know what? If this is the way it's going to be, I'm not writing any more songs."<p>

"No, you have to write songs! They're so good!" Martin cut in.  
>"Really? You think?" Jen asked, breaking into a grin.<br>"Yes!"  
>"Okay." Jen giggled.<p>

"I told you," Joe whispered.  
>She stared at him. "What did you say?"<br>"I-um, nothing," he said nervously.  
>"Good. Well, at least I know <strong>someone<strong> cares about me," she continued.  
>"Hey, I do, too," Cary whined.<br>"You didn't care when you insulted my song."  
>"But I didn't!"<br>"Whatever."

"I swear I didn't."  
>"You're such a liar. You insulted it and you know it."<br>"I TOLD YOU." Joe whispered loudly.

"Joe," she began, making sure her voice sounded threatening. "If you say another word for the rest of the day, I will hit you right in the face with my guitar. If you say **more** than one word, I'll change the whole shape of your face with my guitar. Got it?"  
>He gulped. "Got it."<p>

"All right. So," she chirped, "what if I wrote another song? One that's a little less...awkward?"  
>"Your song wasn't awkward," Cary replied cautiously.<br>"Okay. But what if I write another one?"  
>"That would be great," he replied.<p>

"I actually have some lyrics..." she muttered some words that the boys couldn't understand, and then disappeared into her room with her guitar.  
>"Every time she runs off to write a song it takes way too long." Cary frowned.<br>"Shut up." Charles said.

"Not until **you** shut up, lubb-"  
>"Stop calling me that!"<br>"Then stop being a lubberboy!"  
>"I can hear you!" Jen shouted from her room. "If I hear you guys argue again I won't play!"<br>"Even she wants you to shut up," Charles muttered under his breath.  
>"What?"<br>"Nothing."

Preston began to speak. "But, seriously, have you guys ever realized that you argue about the same things over and over again?"  
>"No," Martin whispered.<br>"Wasn't asking you."

"I only fight because someone needs to shut up him." Charles said, gesturing towards Cary.  
>"Hey, at least I'm not-" Cary was interrupted by Preston.<br>"Don't even start. Just don't even start."

"Why not start? He's a lubber-"  
>"Stop saying that!"<br>"Whatever, but he's also convinced that he's Jen's favorite"  
>"When did I ever say that?" Charles huffed.<br>"Dude, I can totally tell just by the way you're acting."  
>"Just by the way I'm- are you a girl? Do you get mood swings?"<p>

"Oh my g- just, STOP." Preston rubbed his head as if it ached.

They all sat quietly for a moment, most of them seeming to be straining to hear what Jen was playing.

Cary rocked back and forth.  
>"Dude, sit still." Charles snapped.<br>"I can't help it. I like moving." Cary glared at Charles.

After about another half hour of the boys arguing, Jen emerged from her room.

"Finally!" Cary blurted.  
>"I see you guys are patient," Jen laughed. "Just a warning about this song. I say someone's name-"<br>"It's mine. It's totally mine!"  
>"No, Cary, it's not. It's actually nobody's name. But, just so you guys know, I don't use people's <strong>real<strong> names in my songs."  
>"That doesn't make sense," Martin said. "If- if you don't use-"<br>"It's okay, sweetie, I'll explain it later," she replied.

"Sweetie?!" Cary whispered harshly.

"I meant it in a nice way. Martin's a lot sweeter than you." Jen snapped at Cary.  
>"Well, okay then." Cary said, making a face.<br>Jen started strumming and hummed a starting note softly to herself.

"Corey's eyes are like a jungle  
>He smiles, it's like the radio<br>He whispers songs into my window  
>In words that nobody knows," she began.<br>"Corey sounds like Cary," the blond whispered instantly upon hearing the name.  
>"But she said it's not the actual name," Martin replied.<p>

"But obviously she made it close to my name to prove a point, Smartin."  
>"Hey, I-"<br>"Shut up and listen."

"There's pretty girls on every corner  
>That watch him as he's walking home<br>Saying, does he know  
>Will you ever know"<p>

"That's obviously me." Cary said, smirking.

"There are ZERO girls on your street," Charles replied. "And even if there were, they wouldn't be looking at you."  
>"So you've been looking for girls near my house? Are you a stalker?"<br>"Shut up, that's not-"  
>"Was too."<br>"Was not!"

Jen rolled her eyes and kept singing. "You're beautiful  
>Every little piece love, don't you know<br>You're really gonna be someone, ask anyone  
>When you find everything you looked for<br>I hope your life leads you back to my door  
>Oh but if it don't, stay beautiful"<p>

"Beautiful?" Cary asked. "Beautiful? That's a girl word."  
>"You didn't complain about all the other girly songs," Preston replied, "so why start now?"<br>"Because- 'beautiful' is like, the weirdest word for a guy."  
>"But it might kind of work? For the song?"<p>

"You're gross," the blond replied, huffing.

7"Cory finds another way to be  
>The highlight of my day<br>I'm taking pictures in my mind  
>So I can save them for a rainy day<br>It's hard to make conversation  
>When he's taking my breath away<br>I should say, hey by the way" Jen sang, looking off into the distance, seeming almost sad.  
>"I'm the highlight of everyone's day." Cary said.<br>"Except mine." Charles muttered.  
>"Shut up." Preston said, pushing both of the boys.<p>

"And his," Charles continued.  
>"Seriously, stop."<br>"You stop it. Cary, you're still wrong-" Preston elbowed Charles, shutting him up.

"You're beautiful, every little piece, love  
>Don't you know, you're really gonna be someone<br>Ask anyone," she sang over them.  
>"And when you find everything you looked for<br>I hope your life leads you back to my door  
>Oh, but if it don't, stay beautiful."<p>

"Why does she keep repeating that?" Cary whined.  
>"It's the chorus," Joe whispered.<br>"Isn't that when a whole bunch of people sing together?" Martin asked.  
>"Sort of."<br>"Where did you hear that word from?" Cary inquired.  
>"Jen taught me."<p>

"If you and I are a story  
>That never gets told<br>If what you are is a daydream  
>I'll never get to hold, at least you'll know" Jen paused, blinked, and started strumming again.<p>

"Ooh, she likes me." Cary whispered.  
>"Who said the song was about you, idiot?" Charles asked.<br>"Hey, I don't think I'm the idiot here."  
>"Then who is?"<br>"Not me."

"You're beautiful every little piece love,  
>and don't you know your really gonna be someone ask anyone.<br>and when you find everything you looked for,  
>I hope your life leads you back to my front door.<br>oh but if it don't will you stay  
>beautiful beautiful beautiful<br>beautiful beautiful beautiful"  
>"She sang it again! It's just the same thing over and over." Cary muttered.<p>

"That's because it's the chorus," Joe said quietly.  
>"I still don't know what that means," Martin said.<br>Cary sighed. "You never know what anything means, Smartin. That's why you're so smart." He only frowned in response.  
>"Ll la la<br>Oh, oh oh oh,  
>oh but if it don't,<br>stay beautiful  
>stay beautiful<br>Na na na na na," she finished.

"What are the 'la la la's and the 'na na na's supposed to mean?" Cary asked instantly.  
>"It's just stuff you sing," Jen replied. "It's supposed to sound good."<br>"Sound well," Preston said, coughing.  
>She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, did you guys like the song?<p>

"I guess. It depends on who it was about." Cary replied.  
>"It doesn't matter who it was about." Jen said.<br>"Which means it was about me."  
>"No, it actually doesn't mean that."<br>"Cary and Corey. They sound alike. It's totally me."

"Oh, tee-hee, Cary, you got me!" she squealed sarcastically. "I would totally tell someone like YOU to stay beautiful."  
>"As if I need to be reminded," he laughed.<br>"Wait, didn't you say that 'beautiful' was a girl word?" Charles said, a smug smile growing on his face.  
>"I-I-"<br>"I'm pretty sure he said that," Martin mumbled.  
>"I- whatever, I changed my mind!"<p>

"No you didn't," Charles replied. "I liked your song, by the way."

"Thanks. Good to know someone appreciates it." Jen smiled.  
>"Wait. I still don't get why you used a different name." Martin said, looking at Jen.<br>"I don't know anyone with that name. So I used it." Jen replied simply.  
>"So you wrote a song about someone you don't know?"<br>"No, it's about someone I know. It's just that I used a different name because-"  
>"Then why didn't you use the real person's name? If it's about someone you know?"<p>

"Because it would be really embarrassing if I used that person's name," she replied.  
>"Is it because he's in the room?" Cary asked. He winked slightly after speaking.<br>"I don't know. That's for all of you to figure out one of these days."  
>"One of these days? Are you recording?" Joe laughed.<br>"Maybe I will, Joe," she began, "and maybe I'll have more money than all of you combined."  
>"You should record when you're older," Charles said. "You sounded really good."<br>"Well!" Preston blurted.  
>"It's actually 'good,'" Jen replied, laughing. "But thanks."<p>

"Guys, I still don't understand why-" Martin began.  
>"Shut it, Smartin!" Cary snapped.<p>

"I said I don't like it when you call me that!"  
>"Yeah, well too bad."<p>

"When will you stop?"  
>"When you're not so freaking stupid," Cary spat, "I MIGHT call you something other than Smartin."<br>"What about 'Martin?'"  
>"Nah. You don't deserve your actual name," he said.<br>Jen sighed. "Do you ever stop?"  
>"No," Preston replied. "He doesn't. I'm pretty sure he spends his whole day thinking of ways to be annoying."<p>

"And somehow he still thinks the song is about him." Jen smiled.  
>"Hey, you said you'd write about me." Cary protested.<br>"I never said that, if you recall. I think we've discussed this already."

"No, we said that-"  
>"Yeah, okay Cary. Whatever." Jen sighed.<br>"Will you write another song?" Charles asked.  
>Jen suddenly got quiet. She put her guitar down by her side. "Nah, I don't think so. Not today. Maybe-"<br>"Why not? It's so much fun!: Cary interrupted.  
>Jen suddenly glared at Cary. "I said no. Shut up."<p>

"But, but, I thought-"  
>"Do you know what it takes to write a song?" Jen asked snappily.<br>"No, but I'm sure it's-"  
>"Easy? Ha, it's not easy. First, you need to know what you want to say. Then you need to write it down. But it has to sound <strong>good<strong> - not well, **good**. Then you need to have the music go with it. You can't just throw a bunch of random things up and say, hey, that sounds like a great, catchy song, you have to think about it for a LONG time. Then, when you have that done, you need to practice, again, and again, and again, and AGAIN, until you can play it-" she snapped "-just like that."

"You don't need to be so rude."  
>"Well, since you think it's so easy, how about you write a song?"<br>"I'm not good at it. You are."  
>"That doesn't mean I can just keep popping songs out like- like-" Jen stopped, at a loss for words.<p>

"Jen," Joe began. "Take a deep breath. You're okay. He was just saying how much he liked your songs, that's all."  
>"Okay, fine, but you don't know the pressure that comes with writing music."<br>"You're not **writing** under pressure, though. It's just for fun."  
>"No, Joe, it's serious."<br>"Maybe you're taking it too seriously."  
>"Does she always do this?" Cary asked warily.<br>"She's having another one of her mood swings," Charles replied. "Right, Joe?"  
>"It's just a girl thing. She'll be okay."<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

"No, I won't." Jen snapped.  
>"Hold on, guys. I still don't get why there was a different name used in the song if-" Martin was suddenly cut off by Jen.<br>"It's just a name. I don't know anyone named Corey. And I wasn't trying to make a point because the name sounds like Cary. It's just a name! Why can't any of you understand that?"  
>"So...the song wasn't about someone you know?" Martin asked, seeming puzzled.<br>"Never mind." Jen sighed. There was a pause, and then her eyes suddenly widened. She muttered something to herself, stood up and desperately looked around for her guitar. She picked it up.  
>"I gotta go!" she yelled, already halfway to her room.<br>"I gotta go." she

The door slammed - loudly. "Wow, seriously?" Cary huffed from afar.  
>"Shut <strong>UP!<strong>" she shouted from her room.  
>"Fine!" he shouted back. "I'll be more quiet."<br>"No! You just DON'T TALK at ALL." In response, the boys remained quiet for a few moments. Nobody knew the extent of Jen's wrath, but no one wanted to know it.  
>"But guys," Martin began, "can you explain-" The boys all shushed him.<br>"Okay! Since you guys can't figure out how to SHUT UP," Jen yelled again, "I'm not playing until tomorrow."  
>"What!" Cary gaped.<br>"Yeah! For real. So, GO AWAY!"

To prove a point, Cary tiptoed over to Jen's room and sat outside the door, straining to hear what she was singing.  
>"I hear you outside my door. You need to quit distracting me or I'm gonna lose this." Jen yelled at him.<br>"Lose what?" Cary challenged.  
>"My melody, my lyrics, everything. Just give me a second to write this down!"<br>Cary scooted away from the door.

"Dude, I'm pretty sure your sister is turning into a monster," he whispered as soon as he got back to the rest of the boys.  
>"She's only like this for-" Joe thought quickly - "two weeks."<br>"Are you- you're not serious, right? I'm going to go crazy."  
>"Why should you go crazy?" Charles said instantly. "You made her act like that."<p>

"I did no such thing." Cary protested.  
>Charles rolled his eyes. They listened to the strumming of the guitar in the background. They could hear her softly humming a melody, particularly on high notes. Then it went quiet for a few moments, and Jen emerged without her guitar.<p>

"Where's your guitar?" Cary said instantly. "Aren't you going to sing?"  
>She instantly glared at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey, I didn't know you were stupid, I guess I need to repeat what I said."<br>"I j-"  
>"Okay, honey, repeat after me. <strong>NNNOOOOOO<strong>." He blinked at her. "Come on, you can do it. **Noooooo**."  
>"Sorry for asking," he mumbled.<p>

"Look, I don't have the energy to just keep writing these songs...and keep singing them...and keep listen to you be cocky about them. I'm too-" Jen paused and smiled. "I'm too tired."

"But girls don't get tired," Martin began.  
>Cary rolled his eyes. "You really need to stop, Smartin."<br>"Stop what?"  
>"Stop being so smart. I don't even know how you're alive." Martin only frowned in response.<br>"See, this is exactly why I'm tired," Jen began. "Because you guys spend all your time either being mean to each other or being mean to me."

"Maybe it's because Smartin spends so much time being dumb." Cary muttered.  
>Jen groaned and tipped over onto her back. "You're exhausting. Don't you have a hobby or something?"<br>"Yes, I like fireworks."  
>"No, I know. I meant, don't you have something better to do than bug me?"<br>"Oh, no. Not really."

"No fireworks at home?" she asked.

"No, but-"  
>"But what?"<br>"You're the only firework around here," he said, winking at her. The other boys groaned at his terrible joke - but Jen found her fists tightening and her face reddening by the second. "Eh? Eh?" Finally, she lunged at him with her fist, landing square on his cheek. He stumbled slightly. "What was that for?"

"You had that coming."  
>"Well it didn't even hurt."<br>"Want me to make it hurt? We can easily arrange that."  
>"No." Cary said, shying away a bit.<p>

"It totally hurt," Charles laughed.

"It did not! Shut up!" Cary muttered.

"I do kinda agree though," Preston said. "You're like a firework. Or maybe a firecracker."  
>"You're like, the opposite of Joe. I still don't get how you're related." Martin said.<p>

"We're not," she began, laughing. "His dad married my mom."  
>"But why- then how-"<br>"It's okay, Martin, someone will explain it to you better than I can." She smiled.  
>"Maybe they'll explain it at stupid school," Cary whispered.<br>"It looks like you're running out of steam," Charles replied. "Or - maybe - your spark is gone."  
>"Took you two tries to get a good one."<br>"I'm doing better than you are."  
>"No."<br>"Yes."

"Oh my God, Shutupshutupshutup!" Jen screeched, covering her ears and falling over onto her back again.  
>It was silent for a moment. She sat back up.<br>"Hey Martin, how come you hang out with these guys?" she challenged, glaring at Cary.

"Um...uh, well, I guess I always have..." he said meekly.  
>"But why?"<br>"Because-because-"  
>"Shut your face, Smartin," Cary interrupted. "It's because without us he would be stupid AND lonely."<br>"Let Martin speak for himself," Jen chided. "Go ahead. You can tell me."

"Well, I've known them since forever...not being friends with them anymore would be- well, it would be mean." Martin said quietly.  
>"Gee, look at that Cary. Martin doesn't want to leave you because he's afraid of being MEAN." Jen gave Cary a dirty look.<p>

I'm not being mean, though," he replied. "I'm just brutally honest. Come on, Jen. You think he's stupid, too."  
>"I-"<br>"He says the dumbest thing! He doesn't get how you and Joe are brother and sister. He doesn't even understand English!"  
>"I just don't get the name thing," Martin muttered.<br>"Look! Martin might not know everything," Jen said, "but he's a lot nicer to be around than you guys are."

There was a silence, and Joe gave his sister a look that told her she should stop before she said something she'd regret. A moment later, the front door opened, and Jen's mom walked in. Grateful for the distraction, Jen got up and hugged her.  
>"Hey, Mom."<p>

While Jen and her mom were talking, the boys turned to each other. "I'm seriously scared of her now," Cary said.  
>"Well," Charles began, "we can't exactly try to make her nicer. To us, anyway."<br>"So what do we do?"  
>"Come over to my house." The other boys nodded. Any place was better than Joe's, what with his sister's behavior.<br>"But I like Joe's better!"  
>"That's too bad."<p>

"But I like hanging out with Jen." Martin protested.  
>"I find her entertaining." Preston admitted.<p>

Jen turned to the boys at that moment. "Joe, I'm going to the grocery store with Mom. Wanna come?"  
>"Um...no, no thanks. Maybe next time." Joe smiled at them.<br>"Okay."  
>Jen's mom walked out the door. Jen ran into her room. The boys listened to her throwing things around, most likely hiding her songs so the boys wouldn't try to find them. She rushed back out and opened the door.<br>"Bye, love you!" she yelled as she stepped outside, with the door about halfway closed.  
>"Love you too!" Cary yelled.<br>She opened the door again and peeked her head through. "I was talking to Joe, idiot."

"Be nice," her mom yelled.  
>"Whatever," she huffed before leaving.<p>

: Jen woke up early the next morning, with yesterday's melody playing over and over again in her head. They lyrics came quickly and naturally, and by about 6 A.M. she had a song that she was trying not to play too loudly, not wanting to wake up Joe or their parents.

: While her parents remained sound asleep, she soon heard the soft footsteps of her brother. He tended to wake up early - especially when he had a big day ahead of him.  
>He opened the door to her room. "Practicing?" he asked sleepily.<br>"Yeah," she replied, just looking at her guitar.  
>"Will you play it later today?"<br>"That's why I'm practicing."

"I can't believe you're still willing to play for them." Joe said, sitting down on the floor.  
>"It's important." Jen said simply.<br>"Cause the songs are about them?"  
>Jen smirked at her brother. "I never said that."<br>They were quiet.  
>"When are they coming?" Jen asked.<br>"Whenever they feel like it."  
>"Jeez, don't they have responsibilities? Families? Houses? They spend every minute here."<p>

: "Well, they do," Joe began. "They're just- I don't know - they like coming to my place."  
>"Because...?"<br>"I don't really know. They've always done it."  
>"Maybe you're just interesting to them, for whatever reason."<br>He shrugged. "Maybe. I still wonder why you play for them. You look like you're ready to kill them every time."  
>"Maybe I am," she chuckled.<p>

Jen yawned. "I'm exhausted. I'm not used to being up this early."  
>"Go back to bed."<br>"Can't. I'm not gonna be able to sleep."  
>"If you insist."<p>

When the boys arrived a few hours later, Jen was sleeping on the couch, despite her insisting it wasn't going to happen. She yawned and stretched upon hearing the boys entering her house, but didn't move.

As always, Cary was talking his head off. "So, yeah, I basically told him that he was wro- wait, is Jen...asleep?"  
>"Of course she is," Charles said. "You might be surprised to learn that girls need sleep, too." Cary glared, while Martin blinked, processing the new information.<br>"Whatever." Cary stepped in front of her. "Hey! Wake up! We wanna hear your song!"

Jen turned on her side and groaned. "Shut up. I was up at four this morning writing your stupid song. I'm tired."  
>"My song? So it's about me!" Cary said gleefully.<br>"No, Cary. Let me make it clear right now that it's not about you." Jen muttered into the couch. "I don't believe you."  
>"Whatever."<br>"Come on! Get up!"  
>"No."<br>"Why not?"  
>"Because I don't want to play the stupid song."<br>"Why? You said you would!"  
>"Because it's stupid, and you're just going to whine about how it is or isn't about you, and I want to sleep. Now goodbye."<p>

"No! No 'goodbye', Jen! I want to hear my song!"  
>"Too bad, Cary. Now go cry to your friendsies and your mommy and daddy about how MEAN I am." He stared. "You're gonna cry. You are. You big baby."<p>

"No I'm not!" he yelled back.  
>"Joe, does Cary <strong>always<strong> act like a big baby?"  
>"No," he mumbled.<br>Cary sighed in relief, but found it interrupted by Charles. "Now wait, if he said you DON'T always act like a big baby, doesn't that mean you're a baby right now?"

"Hey, lubberboy, who said YOU weren't a big baby?"

Jen threw her hands over her ears. "Shut up shut up shut up!" she whimpered.  
>"Now you're being a baby!" Cary said to her.<br>"No, I'm really not. I just want to sleep."  
>"Play the song and then you can sleep."<p>

"No! You shut up and go away and I'll play the song later."  
>"But I wanna hear it now!"<br>"You really **are** a baby, Cary. You're spoiled and whiny - and, not to mention, really, really, stupid."  
>"Wha-"<br>"That's right, I said it!" She smiled viciously.

"Please? Please? Please? Please? You promised. Do you break promises?"  
>Jen rolled over onto her back again. She groaned. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and ran her fingers through her hair.<p>

"You're right. I don't," she replied. "But I will only play the song on one condition."  
>"What's that?"<br>"You keep your mouth shut for the rest of the day." She grinned at him while his eyes popped out at her in disbelief. "That's perfect. Now keep that up for the next...24 hours, actually."

"Okay, okay, fine!" Cary said.  
>Jen rolled her eyes, knowing he was lying. She picked up her guitar, which was leaning up against the couch.<p>

She started plucking at some strings, as if debating whether to start playing or not.  
>"I'm going to regret this." she muttered.<p>

"Here goes..." she mumbled.  
>"Look at you<br>Look at me  
>Look at who<br>We could be  
>I wanna know<br>Who you are  
>What you want<br>From the start," she began.  
>As soon as she took a break from singing, Cary jumped in with a question. "Why-"<br>"What did I tell you?" she snapped quickly.  
>"Oh," he replied, frowning.<p>

She continued playing and singing, seeming unfazed by the interruption. "And every time I look at you I can hardly say a thing  
>My head starts to spin<br>And it hits me then  
>I love you"<p>

Cary started rocking back and forth, looking desperate to say something. Jen gave him a dirty look.

"And every time you look at me I could go crazy but I  
>don't say it but I won't<br>Cause I'd rather be alone  
>Than lose you," she continued, emphasizing the word "crazy." Just by the way he was rocking and grinning, Jen had the feeling that he thought the song was about him.<p>

"And all I really wanna do is be next to you  
>But I'm too tired to fight<br>And I could tell you now  
>But baby never mind"<br>At this point all the boys looked like they had questions. Cary looked like he was about to explode.

She looked up at them and grinned before continuing. "All the time  
>Everyday<br>There's nothing I can do baby  
>To make you go away." She continued to watch their faces, and slowly began to reflect on just how much power she had over them. Her music - or, rather, her lyrics - seemed to grab their interest instantly: and they stayed mesmerized until the very last note. She smiled before singing again. "So look at you<br>And look at me  
>And think of who<br>We could be..."

"And every time I look at you I can hardly say a thing  
>My head starts to spin<br>And it hits me then  
>I love you<br>And every time you look at me I could go crazy but I  
>don't say it but I won't<br>Cause I'd rather be alone  
>Than lose you"<br>She grinned upon seeing their faces. Even Cary seemed to have focused on the lyrics more. She hoped that she was showing them that it didn't matter who the song was about, but what impact the lyrics made on them.  
>"And all I really wanna do is be next to you<br>But I'm too tired to fight  
>And I could tell you now<br>But baby never mind"

They continued to look focused - but one boy had begun to smile. To her shock, it was Martin; she didn't think that he would be able to understand the lyrics. Still, she felt flattered by the response.  
>She continued. "All I really wanna say is I need you, babe<br>But how could you understand  
>What happens if you turn away<br>And everything turns blue and gray  
>And I just wish I told you never mind"<p>

"And I could tell you now  
>But baby never mind<br>Yeah  
>Oh yeah<br>I could tell you now but never mind  
>Yeah<br>Oh yeah yeah  
>And I could tell you now but never mind..."<br>She strummed the last chord triumphantly. She immediately looked to the boy's faces. It was clear to her straight away that the only boy who had fully grasped the lyrics was Martin, which surprised and pleased her at the same time.

Meanwhile, Joe, Charles and Preston all blinked rapidly - telling her that the song went right over their heads. And poor Cary: his face was red with confusion and frustration.  
>"You can talk now, Cary," she said.<br>He took a huge gulp of air before saying anything. "Idon'tgethowit'saboutme," he said quickly.

"Very simple answer: it's not about you."  
>"But- but- but-"<br>"It's not about you, Cary. Get over it."

"Then who is it about?" he asked. "I'm the only one you really like."  
>"Really? Are you serious?"<br>"Yeah. And you are, too."  
>"No. Nononononono. I have never liked you like this. At all. Ever." She still liked him a bit - but not <strong>that<strong> much.

"Well then if it's not about me, who is it about?"  
>Jen smiled and put her guitar aside.<br>"You're not going to tell us?" Cary asked.  
>"You know, I never said it was about one of you."<br>Cary's mouth fell open, and this statement seemed to open up a whole new world of questions. But before he could start asking them, Martin spoke.  
>"Wait, guys. I still don't get how-"<br>"Shut up, Smartin." Cary said, sounding bored.

"It's okay, Martin, you'll figure it out one day." Although she hadn't known him for very long, Jen was getting used to comforting Martin in his ignorance. "But, you know, I've met people outside of your group."  
>"No, really?" Cary said, faking astonishment.<br>"Yes. And, believe it or not, I've been around **boys.** Ones that were a lot different than you guys."  
>"Better or worse?"<br>"That depends."

"Well what if-"  
>"My point is that, my world doesn't revolve around you guys. I've had friends who are boys back home. And I miss them. So my point is that, just because I write a song, doesn't make it automatically about you." she paused. "Automatically about <strong>any<strong> of you." she corrected herself.  
>"But it's about one of us, right?"<br>Jen sighed. "Cary, why would I ever tell you if it was? So that you could torture me forever?"

"No, it's just that you obviously really like whoever you wrote that about."  
>"You're a genius." Jen said sarcastically.<p>

"Thank you," he replied in a similar fashion.  
>"Yeah, okay. But still, I wonder why I would ever tell you that it's about-" She stopped herself. <strong>Oops.<strong>

"About who? About who?" Cary immediately attacked her.  
>Jen was at a loss for words.<br>"I got you! I totally got you! It's about one of us. I knew it!"

"Fine, so it MAY or may not be about one of you guys," she said, smiling. "But now you have to ask yourselves - is it really all about you?"  
>"Well, duh," Cary replied. "Didn't you say 'never mind' to me yesterday?"<br>"Didn't I tell you that it wasn't about you?"

But you could be lying."

"I don't lie."

"Perfect. Is it about Preston?"

"What? No-"

"Is it about Charles?"

"Oh no, that's not the way it works. Nice try, though."

"Well, you already admitted that it's not about Preston or I. That leaves Charles and Martin."  
>"And Joe." Martin added.<p>

"Martin, that's her brother," Preston whispered.  
>"Oh," he replied. "I forgot." Joe frowned a bit at that response, but didn't seem too phased.<br>"You're right, Cary. But I'm not telling either of them who the song's about."  
>"Well, why not? You've gotten rid of everyone else."<br>"Because! A girl can keep her secrets."

"That's so pointless! Now we'll just be confused for the rest of our lives."  
>Jen sighed. "Yup."<br>"But now your whole life will be just like the song...if you don't tell us."  
>"Try not to read into things so much, Cary. We're talking about a song that I wrote at four in the morning. I was tired, not thinking straight. Just because I wrote it and liked it doesn't mean I still mean it."<p>

"I don't get that," Martin said. "How can you write something and not mean it? If you wrote it down, some part of you meant it, right?"  
>She sighed. "Martin, if I had a dollar for every time you asked a silly question-"<br>"I was just asking..." he said sadly.  
>"Sorry," she mumbled. "But still, the song's not that deep. So stop trying to read into it."<br>"But that's what you want us to do!" Cary yelled.

"No, Cary, it's really not. I just want you to listen to the lyrics and take them in. It's not supposed to mean anything. It's supposed to be a song. You need to relax."  
>"But I want to know who you wrote it about!"<br>"It doesn't matter! It really doesn't!"  
>"But I still want to know!"<br>Jen sighed. "I give up."

"On what?"  
>"On trying to get you to stop being an idiot."<br>"Aww!" He frowned a pouty frown.  
>"Don't give me that face. You're not funny anymore," she huffed. He puckered his lips, still frowning. "Okay, maybe a little bit."<p>

"Tanksh," he replied. She covered her mouth, trying not to break into laughter.

"Wait. Back to when you said how you didn't mean what you wrote-" Martin began.  
>"I didn't say that. I said I didn't mean it anymore. Well, I meant- it's not that I don't-" Jen stopped talking. She breathed out. "I don't know. Don't worry about it, okay?"<p>

"Okay," he said and smiled.  
>"Gee, Smartin, you seem pretty happy with that response," Cary grumbled.<br>"Well, that's fine. That's what she wants me to do."  
>"But that's not what you should do. You're supposed to think about stuff - and that stuff's supposed to mean something."<br>"...What?"  
>"Never mind."<p>

Jen laughed.  
>"What?" Cary demanded.<br>"Nothing."  
>"What?!"<br>"It's just that the song is called 'Never Mind.' I swear Cary, you need to relax."  
>"I am relaxed!"<br>"Whatever you say."  
>Jen sighed.<br>"So can we hear another song?" Cary asked eagerly.  
>"I'm too tired to write another song."<br>"You have songs already written, don't you?"  
>"I guess."<p> 


End file.
